IN  SENATE 


OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

t  —    i  i  1  i  1 

JANUARY  28,  1806. 


Ms.  Mitchill,  from  the  committee  to  whom  was  re* 
ferred,  the  memorial  of  the  merchants  of  New  York, 
submitted  a  report  on  that  part  of  the  same,  which  re- 
lates to  "  the  defenceless  situation  of  the  port  of 
New  York." 

EARLY  in  the  history  of  North  Ame- 
rica, the  harbor  of  New  York  was  discover- 
ed by  the  Dutch  to  be  a  convenient  place  of 
resort  for  ships.  Subsequent  experience  has 
proved  the  judgment  of  the  Hollanders  to 
have  been  good.  The  place  where  the 
North  river  forms  a  junction  with  Long 
Island  sound,  is  as  well  if  not  better  adapted 
to  navigation  and  trade  than  any  which  the 
Atlantic  coast  affords. 

The  city  at  the  head  of  the  harbor,  is 
about  27  miles  from  the  ocean,  the  ebb  and 
flow  of  the  tide  is  about  6jfeet.  The  salt- 
ness  of  the  water  is  not  much  inferior  to  that 
of  the  neighboring  sea. 

The  harbor  is  a  bay  or  bason,  surround- 
ed chiefly  by  islands.    Though  the  space 


from  the  foot  of  the  Neversunk  hills,  to  the 
mouth  of  the  river  Ranban,  and  another  space 
from  Bergen  point,  to  Hobocken  are  points 
of  the  main  land,  which  skirt  the  shores  be-% 
tween  the  insular  positions.  The  land  is 
mostly  low  and  is  composed  principally  of 
gravel,  sand,  and  loom ;  and  in  certain  spots 
strata  of  solid  granite  appear. 

The  island  of  Sandy  Hook,  where  the 
light  house  stands,  is  little  more  than  a  beak 
rising  not  far  above  the  level  of  springtides. 
Staten  island  swells  into  moderate  hills,  and 
and  presents  especially  on  its  eastern  side 
several  bold  elevations*  Long  island  whose 
western  extremity  loses  its  ridges  and 
hills  in  the  plains  of  Flat  lands  and  Newer- 
trecht,  still  retains  at  the  narrows  where  its 
cliffs  are  somewhat  abrupt  and  prominent, 
several  positions  of  considerable  strength. 
In  these  shores  of  the  two  last  mentioned 
islands,  the  army  of  the  enemy  was  landed  in 
1776,  and  a  repetition  of  such  an  invasion 
might  be  discouraged  by  the  erection  of  suit- 
able works  to  oppose  it.  Governor's  island 
has  already  been  much  improved  by  military 
works  and  is  the  spot  on  which  fort  Gay  and 
the  principal  other  fortifications  have  been 
erected.  Bedlow  island,  though  very  small, 
has  also  been  considered  proper  for  defen- 
sive  operations,  and  in  some  degree  prepared 
to  annoy  an  enemy.  On  Manhattan  island, 
where  the  city  of  New  York  stands,  there  was 
once  a  fort  and  battery.  These  have  been 
demolished  of  late  years,  under  a  conviction 


5 


of  their  unfitness,  as  have  likewise  some 
more  recent  breastworks  and  parapets,  wrhich 
though  constructed  but  8  or  9  years  ago, 
/'were  within  a  twelvemonth,  destroyed  by  the 
people  who  made  them. 

Between  these  islands  there  are  deep 
channels  and  rapid  currents.  Ships  of  large 
force  may  be  brought  in  from  sea  and  an- 
chored in  safety  abreast  of  the  town.  And 
having  once  reached  that  station,  there  is 
water  enough  to  convey  frigates  or  even 
larger  ships,  quite  to  the  city  of  Hudson. 

To  the  saltness,  depth,  and  swiftness  of 
the  current,  is  to  be  ascribed  the  openness  of 
the  harbor  of  New  York  during  the  winter. 
In  1780,  its  surface  was  covered  by  a  thick 
and  strong  covering  of  ice.  The  like  has 
never  happened  since,  not  even  during  the 
rigorous  winter  of  1805.  And  it  is  remarka- 
ble that  while  the  Delaware,  Patapsco,  and 
Patomac  are  frozen,  and  Philadelphia,  Balti- 
more, and  Alexandria  are  secured  thereby 
from  the  fleets  of  an  invader,  the  bay  of  New 
York,  though  situated  further  to  the  north- 
ward, possesses  commonly  no  such  protec- 
tion, but  is  accessible  from  the  ocean  with  but 
trifling  impediment.  ^  # 

The  insecurity  of  the  city  is  evinced  by 
%  other  facts.  With  a  small  squadron  of  ships 
in  1674,  the  English  took  it  from  the  Dutch. 
Shortly  afterwards  it  was  retaken  with  almost 
equal  ease.  No  cause  of  attack  occurring 
until  the  commencement  of  the  revolutionary 
war,  it  was  found  utterly  incapable  of  defence 


4 


against  a  hostile  fleet  and  army  in  1776,  and 
abandoned  to  the  enemy  by  the  troops  ar- 
rayed for  its  protection.  And  that  very  foe, 
which  then  gained  the  possession,  held  it  as* 
a  garrison  until  1783,  when  on  its  evacuation, 
the  inhabitants  were  enabled  to  return  to 
their  homes,  after  an  exile  of  7  long  years. 

Since  the  revolution,  New  York  has 
greatly  increased  in  population,  extent,  capi- 
tal and  enterprise.  The  memorialists  state 
iha.t  there  one  third  of  the  national  revenue  is 
collected.  They  hope  so  important  a  sea 
port  may  be  thought  worthy  of  an  efficient 
defence.  And  they  beg  that  a  portion  of  the 
public  treasure  accumulated  in  that  place  may 
be  expended  in  rendering,  both  that  treasure 
and  the  city  in  which  it  is  kept,  more  secure. 

For  the  further  information  of  the  Se- 
nate, the  committee  beg  leave  to  observe,  that 
a  piece  of  land  has  been  already  purchased 
by  the  state,  on  Staten  island,  comprehending 
the  high  point  on  which  the  signal  poles  of 
the  merchants  are  erected.  The  greater 
part  of  Governor's  island  is  understood  to  be 
the  property  of  the  state,  a  small  part  of  it 
only  having  been  purchased  by  the  nation. 
Or*  these  parcels  of  ground  the  labor  of  con- 
structing works  is  the  principal  matter  of  ex- 
pense. And  it  is  in  this  posture  of  affairs  a 
that  the  memorialists,  after  the  state  has  done 
so  much,  ask  the  nation  to  bear  a  proportional 
part  of  the  charge,  necessary  to  provide  more 
formidable  means  of  defence  and  offence. 


5 


Extravagant  estimates  have  been  made 
by  certain  jobbers  and  projectors.  Artificial 
islands,  and  immense  piers,  and  enormous 
^floating  batteries,  and  vast  chevaux  de  frises, 
have  been  talked  of ;  enough  to  absorb  the 
whole  revenue,  and  to  terrify  all  sober  calcu- 
lators of  the  cost.  The  committee  have  dis- 
missed those  schemes,  as  favoring  rather  of 
the  visionary  and  magnificent,-  than  of  the 
useful  and  feasible.  They  content  them- 
selves with  recommending  an  appropriation 
to  a  moderate  amount,  for  making  further 
military  improvements  on  the  sites  already 
purchased,  and  which  the  state  m&y  hereaf- 
ter purchase  and  surrender;  in  full  confi- 
dence at  the  same  time,  that  a  due  proportion 
of  the  heavy  artillery,  armed  ships,  and  gun 
boats  of  the  nation,  will  be  stationed  at  the 
harbor  of  New  York. 

Under  these  impressions,  the  following 
proposition  is  submitted: 

Resolved,  That  it  is  expedient  to  appro- 
priate the  sum  of  dollars,  to  be  laid  out 
in  such  manner,  and  under  such  direction  as 
Congress  shall  judge  proper,  in  fortifying 
the  harbor  and  city  of  New  York. 

The  committee  have  deemed  it  to  be 
within  the  limits  assigned  them,  to  recom- 
m  mend  another  proposition,  in  favor  of  the  ca- 
pital of  South  Carolina : 

Resolved,  That  it  is  expedient  to  appro- 
priate the  sum  of  dollars,  to  be  laid 
out  in  such  manner,  and  under  such  regula- 
tions as  Congress  shall  judge  proper,  in  for- 


6 


tifying  the  port  of  Charleston  in  South  Caro- 
lina. 

And  for  the  purpose  of  providing  for 
other  defenceless  places,  if  any  such  there  be,  \ 
the  committee  submit  another  proposition : 

Resolved,  That  it  is  expedient  to  appro- 
priate the  sum  of  dollars,  to  be  laid  out 
in  fortifying  such  ports  and  harbors,  other 
than  New  York  and  Charleston,  as  the  Pre- 
sident of  the  United  States  shall  thipk  most 
conducive  to  the  public  security. 

Committee  Room,  Jan.  27, 1806. 


/P 


ov  c  it 


